The Monster Movie Reunification
by IAteAButterfly
Summary: Just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out: A blast from the past on movie night. Current with season 7 through The Proton Transmogrification. No spoilers for the last two episodes of the season.
1. Chapter 1

It was Friday night, opening weekend for the new _Godzilla_ movie, and the lobby of the ArcLight Cinemas in Pasadena was teeming with the unwashed masses. Sheldon clutched Amy's hand tighter and edged even closer behind her as they shuffled forward another few inches in line. Behind them, a group of teenaged hoodlums brayed loudly over the story of one of their dubious weekend exploits, and Sheldon gritted his teeth in annoyance.

As though she felt tension radiating off him in sinusoidal transverse waves, Amy glanced back over her shoulder and smiled sympathetically. Squeezing his hand in return, she leaned in close enough that he could smell her freshly washed hair, and murmured, "It shouldn't be too much longer in line. Despite there being nine people in front of us, based on my observation of their interactions it seems they are actually only two parties, one of four and one of five, and two of the four counter attendants seem to be wrapping up their current transactions fairly quickly."

As she spoke, her familiar scent and soothing tone washing over him and easing some of the tension in his shoulders, he was able to quickly verify her words. He nodded, giving her a small smile which unbeknownst to him was very similar to his koala face. Amy beamed back at him.

"And at least we aren't in that line," she added, nodding over to the right at concessions, which was currently swarming with troglodytes barely masquerading as civilized members of society. Sheldon frowned in the general direction of that fresh hell, knowing that somewhere in the chaos Leonard and Penny were probably screwing up his and Amy's food orders.

The line moved up again as one of the larger groups in front of them approached the ticket counter, and Sheldon breathed a sigh of relief. Just a few more minutes (hopefully) and he would be safely ensconced in a darkened theater between his girlfriend and Leonard, Red Vines in one hand and Amy's hand in the other.

His iPhone vibrated in his pocket, and he checked it, seeing a group text from Raj that also included Leonard. _Theater 9, middle section_, _row f_, _101-108,_ it read. Sheldon mentally reviewed the layout of theater nine and sighed with relief.

"Wolowitz and Rajesh were able to procure acceptable seats," he told Amy. "They are not ideal, but seeing as our evening plans were a regrettably last minute decision, and that we are a fairly large group, I'm rather impressed that they pulled it off."

He let go of her hand long enough to type a response to Raj, _Dibs on 107 and 108_, and slipped the phone back in his pocket just as they moved up again.

His phone buzzed in his pocket almost immediately. He sighed and dug it out, seeing a predictable response from Raj.

_Dude, you can't call dibs if you aren't even here yet. Emily and I are in 107 and 108. Also_, _you're welcome for the kick ass seats_,_ bitches._

And Leonard's equally predictable reply a moment later:

_Thank you, Raj._

Sheldon rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance. Choosing to ignore them, he put his phone away again just as Amy tugged him forward toward the ticket counter.

"Hello, four adults for _Godzilla_," she told the bored, gum snapping teenager behind the glass.

Sheldon pulled his credit card out of his wallet and passed it through the window as the young woman rang up their purchase. A minute later they were edging through the crowd toward concessions, Sheldon keeping an eye out for their friends as he wrapped a protective arm around Amy's shoulders and glared at anyone who dared to step into their personal bubble.

"There they are," he said, finally spotting Penny's blond head near the line to get into the theaters. She saw him as they approached, and a broad smile overtook her face.

"Heeey, guys," she said, grinning. Leonard glanced up from his phone after she nudged him, and he did a double take.

"Hey," he echoed, exchanging a brief look with Penny before giving Sheldon and Amy a similar grin.

Sheldon's brow furrowed at their odd behavior, but before he could open his mouth to demand an explanation, Amy cleared her throat.

"Thanks for getting our food, you guys," she said. "We can take some of that."

Penny and Leonard passed them their sodas and a tub of popcorn as well as Sheldon's Red Vines, and they joined the line to get past the ticket attendant, which thankfully was moving much quicker than the previous line he'd been forced to stand in.

Finally they made their way into theater nine, which was just darkening, a hush falling over the crowd as the previews began. Sheldon trailed Leonard, Penny and Amy up the steps toward their row as the beginning of a dramatic voiceover for the next _X-Men _boomed through the theater.

"Do you want the aisle?" Amy whispered to him as he looked over his shoulder, trying to catch as much of the preview as he could.

"I suppose," he said distractedly. Raj had already taken the best option, so there was no point in quibbling over what was left.

They reached row F and Sheldon sank into his seat on the end, eyes still fixed on the big screen as he tried to ignore the whispered greetings between the girls in their group. At least his end seat meant that he wasn't in the middle of _that _nonsense.

A few minutes later the preview for the _X-Men _movie ended and a new one started, this time for some hippie dippy romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez. He rolled his eyes, instantly bored, and busied himself with situating his drink, opening his Red Vines and grabbing Amy's hand.

She had been having a whispered conversation with Penny, who was on her other side, and Bernadette, who was further down between Howard and Emily. As the second preview started and Penny and Bernadette both fell silent, Amy settled back into her seat and smiled warmly at him, her teeth gleaming white in the flickering light of the screen.

"Do you want any popcorn?" she offered quietly.

"Sssh!" A woman in front of them whipped around, her curls flying, to give them an annoyed look. "Can you all _please_ stop talking?"

Amy immediately apologized and then lapsed into embarrassed silence, but Sheldon and the woman in front of them were now staring at each other in mutual recognition.

"Oh dear," he muttered in dismay. "Leslie Winkle?"

Her forehead crinkled. "Well, if it isn't Dr. Dumbass."

Sheldon felt Amy stiffen next to him, and then Penny was suddenly leaning forward to peer at the woman.

"Leslie?" she asked. On the other side of her, Leonard stirred as well.

"Leslie?" he echoed.

Leslie Winkle let out a snort as she glanced down their row. Howard lifted a sheepish hand in greeting, and Raj raised his eyebrows and gave a little wave.

"Hail, hail, the gang's all here," she said drily. She nodded back at Howard and Raj, then smirked at Leonard. He looked very uncomfortable, and snatched up Penny's hand before nodding at her.

"Now that we're all reacquainted, how about you turn back around and reglue yourself to the Jennifer Lopez claptrap that apparently had you so riveted that an inquiry made at less than twenty decibels was enough to ruin your enjoyment of it," Sheldon suggested. He had no patience for the likes of Leslie Winkle.

Leslie smirked at him. "First of all, Dr. Dumbass, it wasn't just a single inquiry that prompted me to turn around. It was an entire conversation regarding _shoe shopping_ that ruined my enjoyment of the _X-Men _preview, and the subsequent whispering made me wonder if the talking was going to continue throughout the rest of the previews or maybe for the entire movie."

"Excuse me," Amy said coolly, sitting up and squaring her shoulders. "I believe I've already apologized for whispering during the _previews_, and I'm sure you can go home and watch the _X-Men _preview on an infinite loopon YouTube if you wish. Now, as my boyfriend has already suggested, please feel free to turn back around."

Beside her, Penny made a noise like a squeak, and then coughed in a poor attempt to cover it up.

Leslie's eyebrows now shot to her hairline, and she looked back and forth between Amy and Sheldon.

"You're kidding," she said.

Sheldon glared at her.

"You… and you?" Leslie further clarified, pointing in between them. She looked at Sheldon. "Dr. Dumbass the asexual robot found someone willing to be his girlfriend?" Looking back at Amy, she said, "Wait, how much is he paying you?"

There was now a stirring from further down their row. "Oh, hell no," Sheldon heard Bernadette yelp as she shifted into what he and Leonard had secretly dubbed 'Mama Bear' mode.

But, he would soon find out, she had nothing on Amy.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy had been having a wonderful evening.

She'd headed over to 2311 North Los Robles directly from work, looking forward to saying a quick hello to her boyfriend before heading out on the town for girls' night. This was only the second girls' night with Raj's girlfriend Emily, but Amy already felt like she fit in quite well. She and Emily had a lot in common, and the other girls seemed to really enjoy her company despite – or perhaps because of – her rather twisted sense of humor.

Upon arriving, however, she found Penny over at 4A with Leonard.

"Hi. Where is everyone?" Amy asked, when he opened the door to reveal a mostly empty apartment. Usually Howard and Raj were here by now on vintage video game night.

"Hi Ames," Penny waved from the couch. She was flipping through a magazine and looked bored. "Change of plans."

Amy frowned, slightly disappointed.

"We're going to go see _Godzilla_," Leonard explained, looking excited. "I just talked Sheldon into it. He's in his room changing into something that he 'won't mind throwing away after it comes into contact with the unwashed masses.'" He rolled his eyes.

"I hope it's one of his old striped shirts," Penny muttered, flipping another page.

Amy cocked her head, puzzled at her bestie's aversion to stripes – always a safe choice in her opinion – before looking back at Leonard. "Oh, okay. Is everyone going?"

"Yeah, they're going to meet us there. We're going to try for the 7:10 showing at the ArcLight; Raj said it isn't sold out yet."

Which is how Amy found herself in the backseat of Leonard's car twenty minutes later heading down Colorado Boulevard during L.A. rush hour traffic. Her boyfriend (wearing an electric blue shirt that proudly proclaimed "Physics is F=uN" across his chest) had his hand on her knee, and he squeezed it whenever Leonard applied the brakes too quickly.

Amy kind of wished Penny was driving. Maybe he'd crawl into her lap in terror.

Sheldon had been very touchy feely of late. This phenomenon had progressed steadily since Valentine's Day, but lately it seemed as though every time they were together he would find an excuse to touch her. Amy was unsure of the exact reason, though she wasn't going to call attention to it for fear that he'd stop. She figured it was a combination of their increased proximity to each other (he'd bumped up their date nights to once a week sometime in March) as well as his budding confidence and familiarity with kissing her. And of course, his growing reliance on her was clear as he tried to find new purpose in his professional life and struggled with the recent loss of a father-figure, Professor Proton, which had hit him hard.

Tonight, though, he seemed in good spirits despite the heavy traffic and last minute change of plans. He chattered at them about the history of the _Godzilla _films, ignoring Penny's dramatic plea to "please, God, kill me now" when his impromptu lecture hit the eight minute mark. Amy met Leonard's gaze briefly in the rearview mirror and they exchanged indulgent smiles.

Sheldon was only silenced when Howard called to let them know that he and the others had already arrived at the theater and would save them seats in the 7:10 showing. Five minutes later, they parked and made their way inside the ArcLight, which looked to already be at maximum capacity.

They split up, Leonard and Penny heading toward concessions and Sheldon and Amy getting in line for tickets.

Sheldon kept hold of her hand in line and then actually _put an arm around her_ as they walked toward their theater. This was a first in public; even in private he'd only put his arm around her twice in their entire relationship, both occurring within the last few weeks while they watched TV at her apartment.

Penny and Leonard noticed, of course, and reacted predictably. Amy immediately drilled them with a wide eyed stare that she hoped conveyed in no uncertain terms to _say nothing. _She breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they schooled their expressions into nonchalance.

_Thank you_, Amy mouthed at them when Sheldon was distracted by tasting his soda to make sure it was in fact a Cherry Coke.

Penny winked and gave her a thumbs up sign.

Once settled into their seats in the theater, Sheldon reached for her hand again, which admittedly had been movie theater standard behavior on his part for two years now but never got old, and Amy couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. She was just so happy. Finally, _finally_, it was happening – she could feel it. They were starting down the road to physical intimacy, and Sheldon, if not right there with her, was only a few small steps behind.

And then the obnoxious stranger (who was apparently _not _a stranger to anyone else) ruined her perfect evening.

As if Leslie Winkle's incredibly rude (and ridiculously unsuitable) designation for Sheldon wasn't enough, she then proceeded to mock their relationship, even having the gall to imply that Amy was some sort of paid escort.

"You," Amy finally said to her, "are probably the rudest person I have ever encountered in my life. Congratulations. Now please turn around before I can no longer resist the urge to throw my drink in your face."

"That goes for both of us, honey," Penny chimed in, arching her perfectly manicured eyebrows at Leslie.

"Make it three," Bernadette snapped from further down the aisle, and rattled the ice in her drink menacingly.

"Girl fight," Howard hissed, and Raj tittered.

"Oh, my god," Leonard moaned, covering his face with his hand.

"Wow," Leslie Winkle said, raising her eyebrows at Sheldon. "Got a bunch of girls to fight your battles, eh, dumbass?"

"That's it!" Bernadette lurched to her feet, and Howard lunged for her, pulling her back down.

"All right, all right," Leslie said, laughing as she held up her hands in mock surrender. "Settle down, ladies." She turned around and whispered something to her companion, who looked like a younger version of Leslie, especially when she turned to smirk at them.

Amy's heart was pounding so hard in her ears that it was drowning out the opening sounds of the movie. She was breathing hard and was so upset that she felt tears of frustration prick at her eyes, which she hastily blinked back before anyone noticed. Amy was no stranger to mockery or cruelty, but to have it forced upon her as an adult, in a setting like this, had thrown her for a loop.

"Amy." Sheldon squeezed her hand tightly, and leaned close to her. "Are you all right?"

Amy just shook her head, wordlessly. She refused to meet his gaze.

"Please don't be upset, Amy," he continued in a low tone. "Leslie Winkle is an appalling human being, but she's certainly not worth any more of your time."

"He's right, Ames," Penny said, taking her other hand. "Try to relax and enjoy the movie. If you want, I'll kick her scrawny ass later in the parking lot."

Amy shook her head again. "Excuse me, I just need some air," she said in a low tone, standing up abruptly and practically climbing over Sheldon in her hurry to get out of there.

She heard her friends calling to her as she hurried down the stairs, but she didn't stop until she burst out of the darkened theater and into the well-lit hallway. She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. A few people passing by gave her curious looks, but she ignored them.

The door to the theater swung open again, and Sheldon appeared. He frowned when he saw her. "Amy, there you are," he said. "Are you ok?"

"Sheldon, who _is _that woman?" she burst out.

He sighed. "Leslie Winkle is a former colleague who had brief dalliances with both Leonard and Howard a few years back. She was an experimental physicist at CalTech and she never missed an opportunity to deride string theory in favor of loop quantum gravity. Although recent events have shown that perhaps she was correct in her derision of string theory…" He trailed off, suddenly looking depressed.

"She's awful," Amy said quickly, now trying to distract him. "I can't believe Leonard dated her. Howard, yes… but not Leonard."

"Yes, I have no idea what he ever saw in her," Sheldon sighed. "Her research methodology was sloppy at best, and she was always unjustifiably arrogant about her work. _Loop quantum gravity_…" he rolled his eyes again. "Of course , she'd fallen toward the bottom of my archenemy list after she left CalTech to work in the private sector, but she's bumped herself solidly back into the top five." He frowned. "Actually, she made my girlfriend cry. She's now in the top three."

Amy couldn't help but smile. Sheldon could be so sweet sometimes without having any idea of it.

"C'mon," she said, reaching out and taking his hand. "Let's go back in. I don't want us to miss any more of the movie."

"Are you sure?" He looked suddenly concerned, and Amy wanted to kiss him for it. She stopped herself only because they were in public, and she wasn't sure how he would react, and…

_Oh_, _the hell with it._

Stepping closer to her lanky boyfriend and raising herself up on tiptoe, she brushed her lips softly against his, pulling back again before either of them were really aware of what was happening.

Sheldon blinked at her like someone had hit his reset button. "What was that for?" he finally asked.

She smiled at him. "Just for being you."

"But Amy, I'm always me," he protested, wrapping his fingers tightly around hers and holding the theater door open with his other hand. "Who else would I be?"

"Exactly. And now you know how often I want to kiss you," she replied, raising her eyebrows at him as he ushered her back inside.


End file.
